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Key Points

Chloe Zhao's film Hamnet has won the coveted People's Choice Award at the Toronto International Film Festival. This marks Zhao's second time winning this award, making her the first director to achieve this distinction. The victory significantly boosts the film's prospects for the upcoming Academy Awards season. Other notable winners include Park Chan-wook's No Other Choice for the international prize and The Road Between Us for best documentary.

Key Points: Chloe Zhao Wins Second TIFF People's Choice Award for Hamnet

  • Chloe Zhao becomes first director to win TIFF People's Choice twice
  • Hamnet victory significantly boosts film's Oscar best picture chances
  • Guillermo del Toro's Frankenstein places as first runner-up
  • Park Chan-wook's No Other Choice wins international audience award
2 min read

Toronto International Film Festival 2025: From 'Hamnet' to Park Chan-wook's 'No Other Choice', take a look at all the winners

Chloe Zhao's Hamnet wins TIFF People's Choice Award, boosting its Oscar prospects. Park Chan-wook's No Other Choice takes international prize at festival's 50th edition.

"Zhao is the first director to win the award twice - Variety"

Toronto, September 15

Chloe Zhao's 'Hamnet' captured the Toronto International Film Festival's (TIFF) highly coveted People's Choice Award, bolstering its Oscars chances, reported Variety.

In addition, Zhao is the first director to win the award twice, coming after her 2020 victory for 'Nomadland.'

Since the Academy expanded the Best Picture field in 2009, TIFF Audience Award winners have become reliable Oscar barometers.

Films such as 'Green Book' (2018) and 'Nomadland' (2020) went on to claim the top prize, while others like "The Fabelmans' (2022) factored heavily into awards season. Only one winner, 'Where Do We Go Now?' (2011), failed to secure a best picture nomination.

Guillermo del Toro's 'Frankenstein' was the first runner-up for the Canadian prize, which was followed by Rian Johnson's 'Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery' in the third place spot, reported Variety.

The audience prize for documentary went to 'The Road Between Us: The Ultimate Rescue' from Barry Avrich. The film looks at a former Israeli general and his attempts to rescue his family during the October 7 attacks, as reported by Variety.

The International People's Choice winner was Park Chan-wook's South Korean satirical thriller 'No Other Choice,' ahead of runner-up 'Sentimental Value' from Norwegian director Joachim Trier.

The Toronto Film Festival's 50th edition was one of its starriest in years. And even though there may not have been the splashy sales that TIFF had been known for, several films could still land distribution, including Steven Soderbergh's 'The Christophers,' Mona Fastvold's 'The Testament of Ann Lee' and Daniel Roher's 'Tuner,' which garnered raves from critics.

The full list of winners is below.

TIFF People's Choice Award: 'Hamnet'

First runner-up: 'Frankenstein'

Second runner-up: 'Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery'

TIFF People's Choice International Award: 'No Other Choice'

First runner-up: 'Sentimental Value'

Second runner-up: "Homebound"

TIFF People's Choice Midnight Madness Award: 'Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie'

First runner-up: 'Obsession'

Second runner-up: "The Furious"

TIFF People's Choice Documentary Award: 'The Road Between Us: The Ultimate Rescue'

First runner-up: 'EPiC: Elvis Presley in Concert'

Second runner-up: "You Had to Be There: How the Toronto Godspell Ignited the Comedy Revolution..."

- ANI

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Reader Comments

R
Rohit P
Interesting to see Park Chan-wook winning the international award. Korean cinema continues to dominate globally. Meanwhile, our Indian films still struggle to get proper recognition at these festivals. We need better marketing and distribution strategies.
A
Arjun K
The documentary winner about the Israeli general's rescue mission sounds intense. Hope it handles the sensitive subject matter with nuance. Sometimes Western documentaries can be one-sided about complex geopolitical issues.
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Sarah B
TIFF always sets the tone for awards season! Excited to see which of these get theatrical releases here in India. The Knives Out sequel at third place is surprising though - expected it to rank higher.
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Vikram M
Good to see diverse cinema getting recognition. But I wish Indian regional films got more spotlight at these international festivals. We have such rich storytelling traditions that deserve global audiences.
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Michael C
The Midnight Madness award going to 'Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie' shows TIFF's commitment to unconventional cinema. Festival circuits need more of this energy rather than just Oscar bait films.

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